News

Council's look into impact of ‘bedroom tax’ blunder

COUNCILS in North and East Yorkshire are looking into the impact of a Government blunder which left thousands of people across the UK being wrongly identified as liable to pay the so-called “bedroom tax”.

Up to 40,000 people could reportedly be affected following the error by the Department of Work and Pensions, affecting working-age social housing tenants who have been living in the same home since 1996.

A mistake meant 17-year-old housing regulations were not updated when the legislation for welfare changes introduced last year was drafted.

Pauline Stuchfield, City of York Council’s assistant director of customer and business support services, said the authority was notified of the issue this week.

She said: “We are currently identifying housing benefit recipients affected to assess the impact of these changes and make any adjustments as soon as possible.”

A spokeswoman for Selby District Council said it had begun an investigation to find out whether any of its claimants were affected, although it did not think many would be.

An East Riding of Yorkshire Council spokesman said it was “working proactively to identify the affected households” which might be exempt from the payment and those which were affected would have their accounts amended “as a matter of urgency”.

Comments (6)

Do people "and the raft of legal p[eople actually do anything like look at history of previouse governments and related issues before striding out, state another very unwelcome tax , like the hearth , window taxes of the past, now thousands of people afftected, "Can we sue the Government on use on incorrect laws thay can not follow or even legal. ??? US Law, Sue Sue.

Do people "and the raft of legal p[eople actually do anything like look at history of previouse governments and related issues before striding out, state another very unwelcome tax , like the hearth , window taxes of the past, now thousands of people afftected, "Can we sue the Government on use on incorrect laws thay can not follow or even legal. ??? US Law, Sue Sue.Dave Ruddock

I can't believe that David Cameron let IDS run such an important department in the first place. The man is thick - always has been and always will be. Remember his stint as leader of the Tories? Embarrassing. He needs to be put out to grass. How much public money has this joker wasted?

I can't believe that David Cameron let IDS run such an important department in the first place. The man is thick - always has been and always will be. Remember his stint as leader of the Tories? Embarrassing. He needs to be put out to grass. How much public money has this joker wasted?Blythespirit

"We are currently identifying housing benefit recipients affected to assess the impact of these changes and make any adjustments as soon as possible.”

Glad to hear it. Will the "adjustments" involve giving people back their life-long home back after they've been forced out by this cruel tax?

Everyone knows this government is cruel and nasty, but it's only just beginning to sink in with some of their admirers that they're incredibly incompetent, inefficient, and wasteful as well.

"We are currently identifying housing benefit recipients affected to assess the impact of these changes and make any adjustments as soon as possible.”
Glad to hear it. Will the "adjustments" involve giving people back their life-long home back after they've been forced out by this cruel tax?
Everyone knows this government is cruel and nasty, but it's only just beginning to sink in with some of their admirers that they're incredibly incompetent, inefficient, and wasteful as well.Zetkin

CaroleBaines wrote:
Incompetence is staggering. Just like the £millions wasted and written off over the Universal Credit fiasco. How is it that we deserve to be governed by complete idiots?

Because governments are voted in by the public and reflect the incompetence of the public.
http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=xIraCchPD
hk

[quote][p][bold]CaroleBaines[/bold] wrote:
Incompetence is staggering. Just like the £millions wasted and written off over the Universal Credit fiasco. How is it that we deserve to be governed by complete idiots?[/p][/quote]Because governments are voted in by the public and reflect the incompetence of the public.
http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=xIraCchPD
hkPinza-C55

Zetkin wrote:
&quot;We are currently identifying housing benefit recipients affected to assess the impact of these changes and make any adjustments as soon as possible.”

Glad to hear it. Will the "adjustments" involve giving people back their life-long home back after they've been forced out by this cruel tax?

Everyone knows this government is cruel and nasty, but it's only just beginning to sink in with some of their admirers that they're incredibly incompetent, inefficient, and wasteful as well.

What tosh.
"giving people their life-long home back.." I grew up in a council house and never for one minute did we consider it our "life-long home"
It wasn't ours, we rented it, as do people now and it shouldn't be taken for granted but I forgot we live in a world of entitlement now and everything should be provided free for life.
Incidentally, how many people in York, selby or elsewhere have been made homeless by this tax? Not many if any, I suspect.

[quote][p][bold]Zetkin[/bold] wrote:
"We are currently identifying housing benefit recipients affected to assess the impact of these changes and make any adjustments as soon as possible.”
Glad to hear it. Will the "adjustments" involve giving people back their life-long home back after they've been forced out by this cruel tax?
Everyone knows this government is cruel and nasty, but it's only just beginning to sink in with some of their admirers that they're incredibly incompetent, inefficient, and wasteful as well.[/p][/quote]What tosh.
"giving people their life-long home back.." I grew up in a council house and never for one minute did we consider it our "life-long home"
It wasn't ours, we rented it, as do people now and it shouldn't be taken for granted but I forgot we live in a world of entitlement now and everything should be provided free for life.
Incidentally, how many people in York, selby or elsewhere have been made homeless by this tax? Not many if any, I suspect.old_selebian